CITIZENS COMPASS –Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have arrested Baale Ige Babatunde, the head of the Akarabata community in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said the 50-year old traditional leader was in possession of fresh cannabis plants that weighed 5kg at the point of arrest.
The operatives also raided the Lagos base of a high-profile cocaine syndicate headed by a couple, Agbakoba Mmadu, and Agbakoba Chinwe, with their associate, Okoye Maryjane.
Large consignments of the class, a drug meant for export and local distribution, were recovered.
“The raid carried out by a special operations unit of the agency followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the syndicate notorious for packaging, distributing and trafficking of cocaine within and outside Nigeria.
“The 54-year-old Agbakoba Mmadu was arrested at Ago Palace Way, Okota while his wife, Agbakoba Chinwe, 39, and associate, Okoye Maryjane, 31, who doubles as their stash keeper, were nabbed at Plot 2205, Eugene Ndubisi Close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, all on July 3, 2024.
“While seven parcels of cocaine with a total weight of 7.652 kilograms were recovered from Mmadu at Ago Palace Way, 122 compressed pellets of the same drug weighing 2.42kg were seized from the duo of Ijeoma and Ifeoma at Lilly Estate, bringing the total seizure to 10.1 kilograms valued at over N2.1 billion in street value.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Benue State on July 4, intercepted a consignment of 350 grams of cocaine at a check point along Enugu road, Otukpo.
“The illicit drug was concealed in an MP3 speaker sent as a waybill parcel.
“A swift follow up operation at Flight motor park in Otukpo led to the arrest of the owner, 25-year-old Odeh Anthony.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Ngurore-Yola road in Adamawa State on July 3, arrested a Chadian, Yves Gali in a commercial bus coming from Kano to Yola.
The suspect was found with a loud speaker used to conceal 20 compressed blocks, and nine plastic containers of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 5.200kg.”
“In Kano, operatives on July 3, arrested a youth corps member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila area of the city, with 1.250kg of Loud,
“Two suspects: Monday Ali, 49, and Jimoh Alewi, 37, were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided Ikota forest in Ifedore LGA, Ondo state where a total of 42,500kg cannabis was destroyed on 17 hectares of farmland while 73.5kg of same substance was recovered for the prosecution of the suspects during a five-day operation that ended on July 1.
“In Abuja, the FCT, NDLEA operatives on July 8, arrested the duo of Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20 in a vehicle along Abaji- Gwagwalada with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup; 13, 540 pills of tramadol; 50,000 pills of diazepam and 59 pills of rophynol.”
